Bad News Confirmed For Arber Xhekaj And His Future In The NHL

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Graham Montgomery
February 8, 2024 (8:34 PM)

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The Montreal Canadiens are still firmly within their rebuild. As such, the team's top priority is drafting and developing their players well. Recently, head coach Martin St. Louis discussed the development of defenseman Arber Xhekaj.

St. Louis Discusses Plans for Xhekaj Development

The 23-year-old burst onto the scene last year when he played 51 games for the Canadiens, instantly becoming a fan favorite.

However, he has since taken a bit of a step back as he has played in just 20 NHL games this season. The young blueliner has been splitting time between the NHL and AHL as the team looks to develop him into a regular NHLer. Martin St. Louis addressed this in a recent interview.

"You know, I always say this... Make mistakes, and stop making the same one... You have to learn from your mistakes a bit, you know... So no, he had a good time in Laval, I saw him play in Laval and I think he needs more reps at this stage, to really get used to the NHL game which is faster."

The coach does have a point. Xhekaj is still just 23-years-old and he only recently celebrated his birthday. There is still plenty of time for the young defenseman to develop his game. So far he has mostly played an enforcer-like role as he has racked up over 150 penalty minutes already in his young career. However, the league is moving away from a need for this kind of player so the Canadiens may be best off having him work on his defensive game so that he can be a more effective defender in his next callup to the NHL.

As seen on Martin St. Louis Makes Things Clear On Arber Xhekaj in Scathing Interview